Saga of the Spider

Well, I’m back today with another strange tale to tell. You know, things like the cold, flu and even covid don’t get me. Instead, really bizarre off the wall encounters like bats, my appendix and now a spider are more my speed. I am currently recovering from a spider bite and in a detailed wound care protocol. It has been ugly – both figuratively and literally – and I thought I’d share here as a cautionary tale and to explain my absence from social media. I only have had blog posts up the past couple of weeks because I prepared them before I went on vacation.

May 23 – I was awoken from a deep sleep by a sting on the back of my thigh a couple of inches above my knee. I think I rubbed it for a second and then went right back to sleep.

May 24 – Woke up with what looked like a mosquito bite. It bothered me all day – something between an itch, a burn and just general discomfort. My girlfriend L came over that day and even asked me about it. I told her, like I had shared with Honey, that a mosquito must have got me during the night. Honey immediately rose his brows and said “I haven’t seen one mosquito this season.” We didn’t think to check the bed sheets or look for a spider at this juncture.

May 26 – By this morning, there was a hard nodule about 3″ x 3″ under the bite. A red area was spreading out all around that, reaching the front of my thigh. It was warm to touch, but no red streaks, fever or other telltale signs of infection. We were leaving town on May 27 so I called my primary care and dermatologist. The dermatologist could see my the morning before we left.

May 27 – Dermatologist said it is hard to tell what bit me at this point. However, there were signs of infection with the hardness and celluitis (the red area). She prescribed an oral antibiotic and said I should feel a lot of relief in 24-48 hours. We are off to Disney!

May 28 – I can hardly walk at this point and can neither fully straighten or fully bend my left leg. I stay the course.

May 29 – The original bite part shows signs of just barely splitting. It isn’t too alarming to look at, but I wasn’t sure if it was normal. Google has been zero help! I messaged the DR a new photo. She called me, we talked through things and she called in a topical antibiotic to go along with the oral.

May 30 – I wake up and now the entire bite part is gross and a little bloody. We cancel our day plans but I rallied to go to dinner that night. By the time dinner was over Honey insisted on taking me to urgent care. We choose one in close proximity to Disney and make a 10pm appointment online. It is only 8pm but I’d rather wait in our room than in the urgent care. When we arrive they won’t let me wait inside, saying the waiting room is full (2 people waiting, probably 35 chairs). Honey had planned to drop me off since the boys were in the room alone. And, it wasn’t just any room, it was a standalone treehouse in a wooded area without anyone they could easily go to if help was needed. I was already in a state, and the anxiety over this was likely overstated but it was very real to me at the time. They told me I would have to wait outside. I told them that I was here for my leg and could not stand. They said I could carry out a chair. Can you even?? Honey ended up waiting with me so I could sit in the car. At 11pm, he went in to check on where I was. We had seen nobody go in or come out in the hour past my appointment. They told him it could be 1-2 hours. At that point we decided to cut our losses and find another urgent care. I have always loved the Celebration area and thought maybe we’d have better luck there than at Lake Buena Vista. We pulled up to 24/7 Urgent Care and they were amazing. They took me to a room right away and had me looked at within a couple of minutes. The DR called in a second DR and they grimly said that this “wound” was beyond an urgent care and that I needed an ER. They said I would likely either be admitted for 2 days or go in for a night and need to return for a second night. Honey and I tossed around idea of driving back to Atlanta so that we could be home to handle it. I won’t forget the look on the doctor’s face when he said – that’s a 7 hour drive and you don’t have 7 hours to lose.

May 31 – It’s the wee hours of Memorial Day and I’m now in the ER at Celebration Hospital. Honey left me here to go be with the boys. As our bad luck would have it, we were also changing Disney resorts just a few hours later at the 11AM checkout time so he wanted to be with them, reassure them and start packing. Everyone at Celebration Hospital was absolutely outstanding. There were banners in the lobby showcasing “best hospital in Florida” awards and I believe it. They were professional, compassionate and knowledgeable. They started me on an IV antibiotic right away and began to prepare for a “procedure” and they almost immediately declared this a spider bite. They said lots of people think they have spider bite but few really do. We laughed a little when they said not many people come in with an open wound and think a mosquito got them. :-) They gave me time to call Honey and for him to return before they started because I was so scared. They gave me some crazy drug that made me hallucinate (I remember it ALL…. so bizarre) and then Honey said they injected large amounts of stuff into my leg to numb it. They ended up having to cut out a huge abscess (3x3x1″). They were relieved that it hadn’t reached the muscle. They suspected MRSA and a culture that came back June 2 confirmed that. Afterwards, the DR said he believed he got all of the infection and started me on a new antibiotic and pain killers. The cavity was packed and we were sent back to the hotel the next morning for about 18 hours. This was the day my parents and sister were all joining together in our trip. I was so sad to spend it in bed but so happy to have my parents and family there.

June 1 – After a family dinner, Honey and I went back to the ER. They unpacked the cavity and gave us wound care instructions going forward. I was still unable to walk well and in a decent amount of pain.

June 2 – Me, trying to make the most of our family trip!!! We had a VIP Tour and alllll I wanted to do was enjoy this day. The scooter, a great guide and a fun loving family made that possible.

June 3 – We decided to cut our losses and end our trip early.

June 7 – My doctor at home is on vacation so I made a follow up with another in her practice. He has some concern about another lump and extended my antibiotic. He said it is hard to tell if this spot is coming or going infection wise but that if it doesn’t correct by next Monday we may have to start over by cutting out another abscess. (tears) He moved me to a wet to dry wound care procedure, just like the ER doctors in FL had said would likely happen. This one is pretty painful to remove, but we are supposed to stay on it until the hole in my leg “looks red and beefy like meat”. (yum) I really wish I had seen my own doctor because I just didn’t click with this one.

I don’t know that there is anything I could have done differently to not be at this place. If you have strange spot, get it looked at. If you think a spider might have bitten you, or wonder if something on your body is infected, I am happy to email you pictures. I certainly wasn’t going to post them here for unsuspecting eyes! Honey says for halloween he is going to print out one of the pictures he’s taken of my wound and tape it to his forehead to go as the walking dead. That should give you the gist of what it looks like. :-(

I’m continuing to take it easy at home, mostly just working for lack of anything else to do, although I keep making little mistakes. My medicine makes my stomach hurt and I don’t have much of an appetite or energy. I tried to go to Whit’s baseball game but the meds make my skin so sensitive that even indirect sunlight makes my skin feel like it is burning off of my body (no joke) and then it leaves my hands and fingers numb for the rest of the night. I can’t swim or take a bath (more tears as I stare at this pretty pool) and was advised not to exercise until I don’t have a hole in my leg (they said 6 weeks as long as we don’t have to start over with more infection forming). I really am trying to stay positive and I know this too shall pass but it has been a long, scary few weeks and I don’t feel like I’m quite out of the woods yet. MRSA is a scary thing. If you have a prayer to spare, I would be grateful.

UPDATE: If you really, really want to read the full schedule of events and see the nasty photos, I have created a hidden page that you can access here. I have reached the end of the internet on MRSA photos and information. I was and primarily am interested in what things to visually look out for. I am ONLY sharing this for reference in the hopes that it can help someone down the road. MRSA can be deadly. CLICK WITH CAUTION

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63 thoughts on “Saga of the Spider

  1. Amanda, I’m praying for your physical and mental comfort. What a hard thing to happen–the waiting, the unknown, the pain, the disruption–all of it! Hope you feel significantly better very soon.

  2. Amanda, I’m so sorry that you have been through this ordeal. I am praying for God’s healing light and love to surround you and that you will feel His peace, comfort, and love. With faith, I am thanking God in advance for your complete healing.

  3. Oh Amanda, I am so sorry you are going through this! Take care of yourself and get lots of rest. I’ll say a prayer for you.
    Hugs,
    Shelley

  4. Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry to hear this! You have been thru quite the ordeal, but I must say you are really a trooper. You will be in my prayers. Hoping for a very speedy recovery!

  5. Take care sweet Amanda…I love reading your blog and was sad to read this scary post…I will say a prayer for you. Hugs!

  6. Oh my! What a horrible experience. I’m glad you are on the mend and will keep you in my prayers. Do you know what kind of spider it might have been? 😁hang in there!

  7. You poor thing! I am so sorry. You are in my heart and I pray for continued progress towards your complete recovery.

  8. Prayers for you and for a speedy recovery! Thank you for sharing your tale as even through this uncertainty, you are thinking of others. You are an amazing lady!

  9. I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this, sending prayers for you🙏🙏. After reading your story I couldn’t stop thinking about what you experienced. I know how scary it can be and wound care is no fun. I had a mystery infection in my knee & I went from doctor to doctor while my wound was getting worse. I ended up having surgery & made a full recovery. Still have no idea what caused it, even the doctor who did the surgery didn’t know.

  10. What a scary thing!! It must have been made so much worse by having it escalate while away from home. I will definitely say a prayer for healing and comfort!

  11. Amanda!! you are such a strong lady, relax and let yourself take the time to heal. Thank you for sharing your experience and take time for yourself to rest up and I know you will be back in action soon!! Katie

  12. You poor dear! This sounds just awful, and I want you to know you have my prayers!
    I hope when you’re really hurting, you remember all the people who are praying for you!
    🙏🏻Kandace

  13. What a horrible, horrible time you had and are having. My heart goes out to you and yours,
    such a worry for everyone. I can’t imagine the pain and stress you are going through Amanda.
    Sending you positive vibes from Canada.

  14. Prayers for you! So sorry you are going through this. I hope you recover quickly with no more infection.

  15. I’m a natural worrier. When my favorite bloggers don’t blog, worry. Then they check back in and say something like “off having family fun” and I feel foolish. So sorry for you my instincts were off. Follow doctors orders to a T! Prayers and positive thoughts southern bound!

  16. Wow, how awful!! We had similar wounds-care protocol for my son years ago, I remember it being not fun at all. Prayers for speedy healing!!

  17. Something like this can be so traumatic.
    I’m in Florida and a few years ago I got bitten by a spider.. long story short I ended up w joint issues for a very long time because I procrastinated getting medical care. Happy you are getting the care that you need! Hang in there! Sending lots of prayers your way!

  18. Amanda,
    Praying for peace like only God can give, wisdom for you and the doctors and for healing. Blessings to you and your family.

  19. Oh my gosh Amanda. I’m so sorry this has happened to you and that you are still dealing with it. I know how much you love Disney, so I’m sorry y’all had to shorten your trip. I pray that you feel relief soon and that the other lump is nothing. Take it easy and rest as much as you can (I know being a mom it can be hard to do). Hugs to you.

  20. Amanda I am so sorry you have gone through this. My cousin had a brown recluse spider bite on her breast and it was quite the ordeal, I helped her to clean and pack the wound twice a day. Her husband found 2 more brown recluse spiders on their porch and had the house sprayed. I am praying for you and my cousin said she would pray also. And if you have not had your house sprayed for spiders yet, please tell Honey to get on that!

  21. Oh no! I am so sorry you had to go through all of this and on your family vacation too! I pray for complete healing and no more complications.

  22. Amanda, I’m so sorry for all that you are going through…you must have been scared to death! Prayers coming your way and please keep us posted on your recovery!

  23. Don’t know if you are seeing an infectious disease MD but that’s the way to go. They are the experts for treatment of MRSA. Best wishes!

      1. Chiming in here to agree—my husband had outpatient surgery in 2016 and ended up with MRSA and a wound that would not heal. For the MRSA, he did multiple rounds of IV antibiotics-like, weeks and weeks, but at least the infection was finally cleared. Getting the wound to close was another matter. He was not the most compliant patient early on, so at least you’re ahead of the game by taking this seriously! And by having a wealth of medical resources in your area. I’m so sorry your dealing with it, though! Be careful and for heaven’s sake take it easy! Prayers!

      2. Sending healing thoughts and prayers your way! Please keep us posted on your recovery. – Truly sorry for what you’re going through…what a frightening experience!

  24. I am praying for you, Amanda! I was wondering what happened to your vacation. A makeup most amazing trip ever is in order when you are back to your amazing self. Praying for complete healing and comfort for you.

  25. This isn’t a spare prayer…this is a direct prayer for you…for your physical recovery and for your mental well-being. Prayer for comfort and care from your loving husband and boys. Prayer for them as they care for the one who ALWAYS cares for them~that role reversal can always be scary! Prayer for your parents and sister and fam who are probably worried as can be about you. Rest and recover….that’s all that you need!!

  26. Prayers for you and your medical team as they care for you so that you have a quick and smooth-as-possible recovery moving forward!!!

  27. 😟🤯😟🤯🤯🤯😟😟😲😲😢😢😢

    🕷🪓🔨🗡🗡🪓🪓🔨🥵

    🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤❤🙏🙏❤🙏😇😇😇🌹🌹❤🙏❤🌹🌹🌹🙂🙂❤🙏🙏🙏😇🙏🙏❤❤🌹🌹😇😇🌹😇🙂🙂

    We all love you, Amanda. It’s going to be okay. Stay positive and eat all the ice cream you want! God bless you, sweet friend. 🌷🌷🦋🌷🌷
    Love, Jane – San Diego

  28. Amanda,
    Lifting you up in prayer today and asking for Gods healing and comfort. Spider bites are nothing to play and I am so sorry to hear what you have been through and still going through. Glad someone suggested you going to an infectious disease specialist.

    When you talked about how the medication affects you when in sunlight (even indirect) I knew exactly what you meant. I had something called blue light therapy once to treat pre-cancerous skin cancers on my face. They apply a topical cream and you sit under a lamp. The doctor told me afterwards not to have any type of direct or indirect sunlight on my face for 48 hours. Well, I went briefly to put some mail in the box and shortly after I came back indoors my face was on fire and burning! I learned a lesson the hard way.

    P.S. Not sure I am looking forward to seeing your Halloween pics this year…..lol!

  29. Oh my lord, you are most certainly in my daily prayers, and I will ask for you to be put on our church’s prayer circle tomorrow. Someone will be praying for you 24 hours a day, in addition to all these wonderful ladies here.

  30. Oh my!!! I hate this for you—hopefully things will be improving soon. Take care of yourself. Will be thinking of you & saying a prayer for a quick recovery.😘

  31. Whoah. So awful! Glad you found the care you needed. I can’t wait to hear when this is all behind you and you are enjoying summer as you should be.

  32. Oh my gosh, how terrifying!! I am so sorry you’ve had to go through this. Spiders are nothing to mess with! I will keep you in my prayers.

  33. Oh my goodness Amanda!! What an ordeal, I can imagine how scary this is!! Sending up prayers for complete healing XOXO

  34. Yes!! Lots of prayers to spare!!! I’m so sorry you are having to endure this. Prayers for healing, less anxiety, and stamina for you and clear thoughts and directions for your doctors!! Most of all, sending you BIG hugs and lots of happy thoughts!!

  35. Amanda–hadn’t visited in a while, and I was led by the Spirit to visit tonight. I am so sorry to read about all that has happened to you. I am honored to pray for you.

    My husband was bit by a brown recluse many years ago. It was a long and scary thing for him to endure, but he finally found a Dr. that did some fancy drainage system on his arm, and gave him Cipro. Also, I agree to see an infectious Dr. I had IV antibiotics, and it was too much for my intestines to take. I developed C Diff. This is another long story, so I won’t go into it. I encourage you to eat lots of yogurt, and take extra probiotics. They will help replenish the good germs you need in your intestinal tract.

    I will ask the Holy Spirit to send you extra angels to protect you and your loved ones, wisdom for your Drs., and a peace that is beyond your understanding. Love and Hugs

  36. Oh no, I’m so sorry!! I love your blog but I somehow missed this post the first time around. I’ll definitely be praying for quick and total healing!!

  37. Praying for you Amanda. So scary for you and your family! I really enjoyed meeting you and your Mom at the Riviera pool. Take care.

  38. Praying for you, Amanda! I’m so sorry you are going through this and had to cut your vacation short.

  39. I’m so sorry you’re going through this but thank you SO MUCH for sharing. 13 year old came home from my sister’s yesterday with a bite of some sort on his ankle and was complaining that it hurt from his knee to his foot. I thought of you and didn’t wait around and took him right to urgent care last night. Hope you turn a corner soon and are feeling better!

  40. I am just now catching up on blog reading and have seen this post. I’m so sorry Amanda and am praying for your healing.
    Last summer I started out with a skin condition on my scalp and after 5 doctor visits found out finally in March, that it was something called folliculitis – an infection of the hair follicles. It was way far gone by then and I was prescribed antibiotics for MRSA.(Same symptoms of being on the medicine as you) I was happy that I found a doctor who knew what it was and am just hoping for no hair loss. He told me that it would take a “very long time” for it to heal so I’m not out of the woods yet. I know in the grand scheme of things this is just a small health problem but it has made me very thankful for my health for sure.

    1. Oh gosh. Yes, this was tossed around too as an idea to what it could be. I definitely felt the sting / bite though. I am also praying for you! It’s already been 3 months and you’re still healing!

  41. oh amanda!!! i’m so sorry to hear this! i’m so sorry this happened to you! i’m in the medical field and have seen cases like this. i’m so glad that you went to the doctor and ER to get it checked out! sending you love and healing!! <3 <3 <3

  42. Amanda, I am just now reading some of the past posts and I’m sorry to hear all you have been going through. I am familiar with the wet to dry procedure as my Mother developed MRSA at age 78, getting the infection after a hospital stay. It may take awhile, but the procedure really does help the healing. Prayers that you have no other infected areas. Please take care of yourself! On another note, since Apr 8 I have been dealing with a body rash that comes and goes and I can relate to the burning skin when in sunlight, etc. I feel like I am burning from the inside out. Went to my doctor and he has seen this happen to people who have gotten their second Covid vaccine, It appears anywhere from 8-12 days (mine arrived 8 days after the shot), and can last 3-4 months. I am currently dealing with this at the 2.5 month mark, and on steroids prescription Benadryl and it is finally clearing up. It may seem like forever for you….but please take care. Xoxo

  43. Oh my goodness Amanda,
    What an experience. Thanks for sharing. My neighbor has been bitten by something and does have a hard red spot that seems to be getting a little worse. I’m gonna share your experience and recommend he get reevaluated.

    My brother in law was bitten by a brown recluse on his lower leg years and years ago and had a recovery similar to yours minus the hard red stage. I’ve been petrified of spiders since then. I’m so glad you were directed to celebration hospital. My husband recently had surgery there and I agree, they are extremely nice and knowledgeable. I’ll pray for knowledge of the doctors and a very speedy and recovery for you.

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